Moldovan State Television Fined for Broadcasting H1 Channel

On February 13, the National Commission for Broadcasting of Moldova fined the state company "Moldtelecom" 40,000 lei (approximately $2,300) for the retransmission of the Armenian H1 channel through its cable network. According to the decision, the primary reason for the fine is the broadcasting of informational, analytical, and military-political programs by the Armenian H1 channel. It is stated that the audiovisual media service law prohibits the broadcast of news and military programming in countries that have not ratified the "Interstate European" convention on television to protect the "national audiovisual space." The ban does not apply to the United States, Canada, and certain countries in the EU. Armenia has not ratified this convention.

The regulation for protecting the "audiovisual space" in Moldova was introduced two years ago during the Democrats’ period as a means to combat Russian propaganda. A representative of "Moldtelecom" declined to comment on the issue, noting that only 11 million Armenians live outside Armenia. Presumably, he was implying that the Armenian channel may be of interest to the Armenian diaspora in Moldova.

We also requested a comment from the Chairman of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, Tigran Hakobyan. He informed Aurora News that in 2018, a law on audiovisual service providers was adopted in Moldova, which stipulates clear restrictions, and the regulatory body of Moldova made a decision based on their legislation. Tigran Hakobyan stated, "We are not authorized to comment on the decisions of regulators from other countries."